ON THE TELLY
Darr, I have to agree 100 percent with your views, more
to the point that here in the UK we have no US drag racing
coverage at all (except old stuff out of the Diamond P camp
and shown v. seldom on a programme that ran 2 years ago
called Chrome & Thunder, I think).
We do have a limited coverage of the European Schedule which
one needs to set the video for (3pm or 12.15am) and not
the widest or in-depth coverage as each programme lasts
30 minutes (8 minutes of which are commercials and 8 minutes
worth of intro images), and normally only 5-6 shows per
season. Still, our sport is growing and the schedule gets
larger each year.
On the point of a feud between Diamond P and NHRA (explains
the lack of response to e-mail both sides regards video
releases), are there any videos covering the NHRA schedule?
The last one available in the UK was the 1999 review (really
sad 'cause I have all so far).
Still I said it. Once again I'm glad there are others out
there who think that Steve Evens and Dave McClellan were
(and still are) the voice of drag racing.
There is a fan base of the NHRA and IHRA over here, a bit
small but it can only grow bigger. And unless the NHRA uses
this modern technology
(television/video/dvd) its fan base outside the US I fear
will not grow, and now as we reach the this time of the
year, there may be increased revenue from the sale of merchandise
such as videos and dvd.
What news is there?
Stu Hornsby
FIRE 'EM ALL!
I want to thank Darr Hawthorne (who's counting the audience?)
for finally saying what I have been saying for years! ESPN's
NHRA TV coverage sucks! And they should be fired!
I'm not talking about the on-camera crew, who are all very
knowledgeable and entertaining. I'm talking about the editors
and producers! On ESPN NHRA drag racing is the Rodney Dangerfield
of American motorsports. No Respect! If the cheerleading
contest runs long, we're told "we will join the drag
races, already in progress, when this is over." (missing
the first two rounds)! If the drag races run long were told
(just before the finals!), "well, so sorry but you'll
have to watch our sports news program in a couple hours
to find out who won!" There was a poker game that could
not be delayed! AHUUUUGG!!!! The latest example is absolutely
criminal. During the most prestigious drag race of all time,
the 50th anniversary of the US Nationals, ESPN constantly
interrupted the coverage to update a baseball game! Who
cares! AHUUUGG!!
Even when ESPN bothers to show the races, half the professional
classes get treated like an inconvenience. Their coverage
of Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle is abbreviated and
hurried at best! They don't bother to find the "what's
going on in Pro Stock" stories like they do with Top
Fuel and Funny Car. Even during their abbreviated coverage
of Pro Stock and Pro Stock Bike, they're talking over it
with picture in picture "what's going on with Top Fuel
stories." AHUUUUGGG!! Everybody and their brother has
seen a top fuel team do a 75-minute turn around a hundred
times! Enough already! I want to watch the Pro Stock and
Pro Stock Bike races! Don't get me wrong, I like to see
the Top Fuel classes as much as anybody. But the point is,
I want to see the whole show, not half of it! Bring back
Diamond P, they did it right!
It doesn't surprise me a bit to find out that TV ratings
are dropping like a rock. Besides the fact the time slots
are terrible. More than once while I've been screaming at
the TV, my wife has walked in the room and said "If
this is frustrating you so much why don't you watch something
else?" How many thousands of times did that happen
across the country? How many casual fans change the channel
just to lower their blood pressure?
I read recently that Tom Compton announced that ESPN has
done a great job and they renewed their contract for 2005
and 2006. What was he thinking! Was he watching the same
broadcasts I was? Did he watch it at all? I don't think
so! Maybe he just doesn't get it. ESPN's attitude towards
NHRA drag racing rubs off on the audience. If ESPN doesn't
think it's worth their time, why would the casual fan? Die-hard
fans like myself may continue to watch, but it obvious that
casual fans are turned off and changing the channel.
If ESPN had done any of these crimes to NASCAR, do you
think Bill France Jr. would have renewed their contract?
I don't think so! NHRA grew tremendously when a small company
called Diamond P was producing their TV shows. Diamond P
actually cared about NHRA drag racing and the audience responded.
Now there is another small and growing network called Speed
Channel. A racing network! Imagine that! What a concept!
I guess Mr. Compton wasn't paying attention. Maybe he should
be fired too!
Bill DeHimer
Rome, NY
